How to Establish Credibility With the Jury

Posted on February 20, 2014

At your DUI trial, your DUI lawyers in Redwood City CA will want to try to establish an opening lead in your case and win over the jury from an early stage. Winning over jurors in DUI cases is an uphill battle but with an effective opening statement and a carefully tailored defense, it is possible. Your DUI lawyers in Redwood City CA will want to begin by using the opening statement to tell your story and set the foundation for your defense.

Show That You Care

One of the most critical things your DUI attorney can do you in your case is to show that he or she cares about you and truly believes in your defense. No one will believe an attorney who appears to not believe his own defense. If the jury believes that your attorney is sincere, they will begin to take your case more seriously. Using body language, eye contact and facial expression, your attorney can show that your case is worth taking seriously.

Establish Credibility

From the first moment your DUI attorney enters the room, jurors will begin to judge you and your attorney. Their impression of you and your attorney will directly affect their impression of case and the evidence. The instant they suspect that you or your attorney is lying or hiding something, the case may be irreparably tainted.

To get on the jury’s good side from the outset, your attorney will want to establish credibility by being humble about his role in the court, acting respectfully and professionally to everybody, and acting according to the highest ethical standards. It might help, for example, if your attorney is honest about the strengths and weaknesses of your case in the opening statement, rather than arrogantly claiming that your case has no weaknesses and the fact that you are even sitting here today is ridiculous. Your attorney should also avoid making personal attacks on the prosecutor as this will alienate the jury.

Get the experienced help you need before your DUI trial begins. Call DUI lawyers in Redwood City CA at Silveira Law at (415) 795-3890.

We serve clients throughout the Bay Area and Northern California including the following localities: San Francisco; San Mateo County including Belmont, Burlingame, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, and San Mateo; Alameda County including Alameda, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, and Union City.